West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-12-09
Presidents Message.
lCondensed.l


nomically administered. 1t isinex-
cusable extortion and a culpable be-
travail of American fairness to take
from a citizen any part of his earn
ings except for support of govern
ment. The present laws do take
from the people large proportion
of their earnings, which earnings
are placed in the U. S. Treasury to
be boarded and kept idle because
the government has no use for them.
Unless remedy be applied the sur
plus revenue thus accumulated will
amount to $l13,000,O00 by next
June, which sum added to previous
accumulations will swell the surplus
in the Treasury to $40, 100000.
Unless remedy be applied we will
continue to witness congested Ma
tional Treasury and depleted mon
etary condition in the business of
the country. Unless steps be taken
to prevent the further collection OF
this vast sum, which ought to re-
main undisturbed in the pockets of
the people, financial crisis seems
inevitable.
The Federal revenue comes from
tariff tax on foreign goods and
from a tax on the consumption of
tobacco and liquor. This latter,
the internal revenue tax, is not lev
led on any of the things that strict
" speaking are necessaries; there
appears no just complaint of this
taxation by the consumers of tobac-
co and liquor, and there seems to be
nothing so well able to bear taxa
ton without hardship.
But the present tariff laws ought
to be amended at once. The plain
effect of these laws is to raise the
price to consumers of all imported
articles by precisely the amount OF
the tax levied on them. Many of
these foreign articles are also manu-
featured in our own country, and the
tax now levied on foreign articles is
called protection to home manufac-
turers, because such taxes enable
our home manufacturers to sell
their products COR price equal TO
that demanded for foreign products
which have paid the tariff tax.
Hence, while a comparatively few
persons use important articles, mill
ions Of our people purchase and use
things of the same kind made in
this county and pay for them near
ly or quite the same enhanced price
which the tarff tax adds to the i'm
ported articles. Those who buy i'm
ported articles pay the tariff into
the Treasury, but those who buy do
nestle articles which are protected,
pay q sum approximately equal to
the tariff tax to the home manufac-
turer. This reference to the opera
ton of our tariff laws is made in or
der that we may be constantly re-
minded of the mannerin which such
laws impose a burden upon those
who consume domestic products as
well as on those who consume for
eign products.
INFANTS 100 YEARS OLD.
Tariff taxation can be and should
be reduced so as not to require any
decrease in the wages to the work
men employed in the protected in.
dustries. The reduction can be and
should be so made as not to imperil
the existence of our manufactures.
But that existence should not mean
condition which must always in
sure immense profits to the owners OF
protected manufactures. Every
effort to reduce tariff taxation has
been so stubbornly resisted by the
manufacturing interests, as to cause
widespread belief that there is an
organized combination all along the
line to maintain their advantage.
Altho' there has been century's
growth, yet the advocates of protec-
ton always speak of our manufac-
lures as Infant industries still
needing fostering by the govern
ment.
THE LABOR FACTOR.
1t is said that protection is neces-
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